Health literacy is a measure of an individual’s ability to acquire, process, and understand basic health information, allowing one to appropriately make necessary health decisions. A high health literacy allows one to take the appropriate steps to take care of oneself, while a low health literacy is usually correlated with low health outcomes. 

Health Literacy

Access to health care is defined as the ability to obtain and utilize personal health services in a timely manner in order to achieve the best possible health outcomes. Factors that prevent or limit access to health care include access to transportation, limited health care resources, and lack of health insurance.

Access to Health Care and Primary Care

There are four basic modes of paying for health care: out-of-pocket payment, individual private insurance, employment-based group private insurance, and government financing.

Modes of Paying for Health Care

There are three models: Primary, secondary, and tertiary care. Lord Dawson proposed that each of the levels of care should correspond with certain unique patient needs.

Models of Organizing Care

- Health literacy
- Access to health care and primary care 


Saint Louis University

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are social and economic factors that influence health outcomes. These factors play a significant role in the wide health disparities observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The social determinants of health are categorized into five crucial determinants:

- Health and health care
- Social and community context
- Neighborhood and built environment
- Education
- Economic stability

These five determinants are interrelated and can be considered as a cycle of events, where a determinant can be a cause or effect of another determinant. 

Effect of Social Determinants of Health on Disparate Health Outcomes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States 

Singu S, Acharya A, Challagundla K and Byrareddy SN. (2020). Impact of
Social Determinants of Health on the Emerging COVID-19 Pandemic in the
United States. Frontiers in Public Health 8:406.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00406
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7385373/

Impact of Social Determinants of Health on the Emerging COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

Health and Health care as a Social Determinant of Health

- Discrimination
- Community involvement and social cohesion

Social and Community Context as a Social Determinant of Health

- Access to healthy foods
- Environmental conditions of neighborhood

Neighborhood and Built Environment as a Social Determinant of Health

- High School Graduation
- Language and English Literacy


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